Full Moon Fever: A MoonLight Prompt Collab

by TheLastBrunnenG

29 Provocation by Kean

Provocation
by Kean

---

”This is quite sudden…” Chalk scratched across cold stone, connecting the end of the circle to the beginning, the sound echoed through the empty chamber with a sense of finality. ”Or perhaps not. I take it your time with Celestia went well?”

Teal eyes, one bearing a dragon’s pupil, scanned the completed circle, searching the runes, lines, and what lay in its center for any flaw. Even the slightest imperfection in her spellwork would cause unexpected, potentially catastrophic results. Satisfied, she nodded, to both the circle, and the question.

“Better than I could have imagined, yes. She agrees that this is the best course as well.”

”You know there are risks.” She nodded. ”And yet, you will go through with this?” Another nod.

“You were once my desires made flesh. Recent developments prove well enough that is no longer the case, which could become problematic. If ridding myself of you is the solution, then so be it. I will accept the risks.”

”You say that but…” She chuckled and shook her head, a small smile beginning to form. ”She will be quite upset with you.”

“Of course she will be. At first,” She muttered and stared at and through a gem almost the size of her head. She spun it in her magic, allowing her to see through every angle. Like the recently made ritual circle, it was flawless. “But she will come to understand. I will not allow this problem to harm her either. Now, if you have no objections?”

”Of course. Though I think you should begin before she figures out where we are.“ The double doors leading to the chamber strained against their hinges and the magic welding them shut before slamming back into place. Through the doors she could hear a mare yelling. The words were indecipherable, but the tone was clear. And it wasn’t happy. ”Too late,” she said with a grin.

“It is no problem, she will not get through until I allow her.” She lit her horn and began to feed magic into the circle.

”You do not know her very well. I would advise haste."

The doors shuddered again, this time splitting apart just enough for the scowling visage of a lavender alicorn to be seen. The walls groaned in protest, begging for the hinges to be allowed to do their job, else they were likely to just give up against Twilight Sparkle’s assault.

“Luna! Open this door! I swear to your sister that I’ll tear it apart!”

”Oh stars is she angry! You best hope this works, for both our sakes.”

The walls finally gave way, allowing the heavy wooden doors they supported to fall against the floor with a deafening crash. Before the enraged alicorn could step hoof inside the chamber, there was a surge of magic, a cry of pain, a blinding flash, and then silence.

--------------------------------------------------------

Let it be known that looking directly into the epicenter of an arcane explosion is never a good idea. Of course, that wasn’t the first time I’ve done it, and it wouldn’t be the last.

The moment princess Celestia told me what they were up to, I had rushed down here to… well, I’m not exactly sure. “Subvert wards placed by Luna only to be momentarily blinded” certainly wasn’t anywhere on my list of ideas though.

I recovered before she did. Whatever Luna did must have taken a lot out of her because she didn’t even get a chance to react before I was on her. I didn’t strike her or pin her, though I did consider it. Instead, I fixed her with my best glare.

“What did you do?” I asked through gritted teeth. I was absolutely seething and my magic was still flowing through my horn, held in check for the moment.

She didn’t respond immediately. Instead she surrounded a gem in her magic and floated it up between us. Staring at the rolling black fog inside through its clear shell, she spoke.

“I hated her. Even when she came back and sought forgiveness, I could not stop hating her.” I wasn’t entirely sure if she was even talking to me. “She deserved none of my ire, of course.” The gem moved from between us to hover over the center of the still glowing circle I had seen when I first entered.

“She was but a manifestation of my desires. I desired a friend and she came, I desired to be more like Celestia, she gave me a matching image, I desired power, she gave it to me, I desired a second chance… “She released the gem, which shattered against the ground, releasing the fog which hovered over something in the center of the circle. I attempted to repair the gem, to force what could only be Nightmare back into the container, but Luna’s magic buffeted mine away. “And she gave me something to shift the blame to.

“However, she desired you. I do not.”

I stopped myself from attacking her and pushed my anger to the back of my mind. Something was wrong. Her demeanor, the way she was speaking: she was too calm. And her little speech seemed to be designed to get a rise out of me. She wanted me distracted.

Even without hindsight that much was obvious to me. But there was nothing else in the room besides us and the circle which had lost is glow.

“But why do this?” I gestured toward the circle and shattered gem. Something seemed to be missing, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it. “Why get rid of her? Why not let me take her? Find a way that she could live separate from you?”

“But, Twilight…” Even in the low light I could see the corners of her lips begin to rise, her eyes shine. I knew that look – from both of them – far too well.

Yep, that’s it: I’m going to kill them. All three of them! I’ll find a way to raise that blasted sun and damned moon on my own! And then-

Hooves and wings surrounded me, blocking my view of Luna, though from the snickering I could tell she was still there. A familiar voice said, “She did,” and a very familiar tongue stopped my revenge plans in their tracks.

They could wait.

Comments

[dragonjek]

”Oh stars is she angry! You best hope this works, for both our sakes.”

For some reason, one of your quotation marks is backwards.
I think that may be the most minor, nit-picky complaint anyone has ever had for any story ever.

[Kean]

5003672
It just got a little confused. And you had to go and point it out to everyone.

Have you no heart?

[Toratchi888]

DEMONS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! CALL THE INQUISITION!

[Graeme97]

5007137 NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!

[AleaJactaEst]

Yep, that’s it: I’m going to kill them. All three of them! I’ll find a way to raise that blasted sun and damned moon on my own! And then-

Serves them right

You really are writing magnificently, Kean, even if I have fangs for some of your prompts.